Can't believe I'm crying, not just for Rach, but also during the middle of her performance I was thinking of Yukari Nakano, she truly was the Firebird, heartbreaking she never made it to the Olympics, missed out on it by a smidgen both times.

Interesting choice of music for Imai, but I don't think she looks very comfortable skating to it, nor is she expressing it very expertly. But kudos to at least trying to skate to something different than the usual.

I'm not really watching, but I note that Agnes is in first place, which is another wake-up call for Rachael. The younger ones are passing her by, same thing is happening to Joubert imho. Which means they have to work that much harder.

Rach needs to sit down and re-evaluate and prioritize. I recall how fit Denise Biellmann was, especially during her pro years, namely when she competed against a 16/17/18 yr. old Oksana Baiul. Denise left her in the dust, she was in her 30s, but had the most "cut" body I've ever seen on a figure skater, man or woman, including Joannie Rochette. This is what Rachael needs to do imho. Time to re-invent herself, or she'll be left in the dust for good.

Jmho. Btw, I treasure watching Rachael skate, front row seat, right in front of me at 2010 Skate America. One for the ages. To see her skate in person when she's in top shape, et al, is truly something else. As God is my witness, it was *she* that set the arena on fire that night. There's nothing like seeing her skate in person imho.

I'm not really watching, but I note that Agnes is in first place, which is another wake-up call for Rachael. The younger ones are passing her by, same thing is happening to Joubert imho.

Rachael took out some of her harder triples. I'm sure she won't lose sleep at night about losing to Agnes by one whole point in the free skate. She must have expected coming into this Grand Prix season that she wasn't going to be very prepared. To me it seems that Rachael is currently less results-oriented and is more focused on her own skating and trying to better what she did in her last outing. I mean, she seemed relatively pleased with both her skate and score.